The last of five meetings on proposed closures in the El Paso Independent School District ended with plenty of questions from parents about the future of their campuses.

The EPISD board now has about six days to mull over information before taking action on the proposed closures at Tuesday's meeting.

The schools being proposed for closure at the end of the school year are Alta Vista, Burleson, Schuster and either Beall or Douglass elementary schools. All campuses except Schuster are located in Central El Paso, with three of those schools sitting south of Interstate 10.

EPISD officials held meetings at Douglass and Beall elementary schools this week. Both campuses are about a half-mile from each other.

If Beall closes, students would instead go to Douglass. And if Douglass closes, students would go to Beall.

At the Beall meeting on Tuesday, parents and staff said the schools are closely linked and are part of one community, but said that doesn't make the decision on which school to close any easier.

"I know you'll welcome us as well as we'd welcome you," said Alonzo Barraza, principal at Douglass.

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Parents from Beall Elementary listen to a presentation given by EPISD officials on proposed school closures Tuesday in South El Paso.(Photo11: Sara Sanchez/El Paso Times)

Superintendent Juan Cabrera was not at either meeting this week. Trustee Bob Geske, who represents both schools on the board, was present at each meeting.

Some parents at Tuesday's meeting advocated for Beall to remain open because they said Douglass is too close to W. Silver Recycling. The recycling plant is about .4 miles away from Douglass and .8 miles away from Beall.

Parents said the plant and other nearby major roadways and industrial businesses causes health concerns, including asthma and respiratory issues, for residents of the Segundo Barrio and Chamizal neighborhoods.

"Keeping Beall open is the best option and best choice with minimal impact to our community," said Hilda Villegas, a Beall parent and member of the group Familias Unidas del Chamizal.

In 2016, Familias Unidas commissioned a study on soil testing for heavy metals such as lead and copper in and around the Douglass, Zavala, Beall and Bowie High campuses, as well as areas in the nearby Salazar public housing complex.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Environmental Resource Management at the University of Texas At El Paso and the executive summary was published in October 2016.

The study found some very high copper concentration levels across the street from Douglass and in the Salazar playground, saying the results "suggest a disproportionately high copper exposure burden for children living in this residential complex."

The study summary states that no samples collected at Beall, Douglass, Zavala or Bowie met the "high risk" category for lead, but two soil that samples from the Douglass playground and Zavala met the criteria for moderate risk.

In response, EPISD officials said they replaced the topsoil at the Zavala playground and added new soil to the Douglass one.

Douglass parents question EPISD officials on safety, history of school

On Monday at Douglass, parents advocated to each other the need to speak out and address the board to ask them not to close their campus.

Violeta Hernandez, a Douglass parent, passionately addressed a crowd of at least 150 parents, students, staff and community members. She said parents need to be the voice for their school if they want Douglass to remain open.

"If we don't stand up for our own children, well, I feel sorry for them," Hernandez said.

Other parents spoke in favor of keeping Douglass open because of the safety the school provides to students, saying there's less traffic in the area than at Beall. Some parents also want the school to remain open because of it's historic significance.

The Douglass campus, at 101 S. Eucalyptus in South-Central El Paso, served as the city's only high school for African-American students from 1920 to 1956.

Some parents questioned Geske, who was present at Monday's meeting, about whether he had already made up his mind to close Douglass. Geske said he had not made up his mind and that it'll likely be a "game-day decision."

"If I had already made up my mind I wouldn't be here," Geske said.

Geske told the Douglass crowd that EPISD cannot continue to operate the number of schools it has, echoing trustee Al Velarde's words at last week's Burleson meeting.

EPISD, El Paso's largest school district, has about 58,000 students in 92 schools.

EPISD officials held three community meetings on closures last week, at Alta Vista, Burleson and Schuster elementary schools. The meetings at times turned tense as parents questioned officials on things like student safety and closure reasoning.

Trustees are slated to take action on the proposed closures at Tuesday's board meeting, which will be held at 5 p.m. at EPISD's central offices, 6531 Boeing.

Board President Trent Hatch first announced the need for school closures in June, saying EPISD was facing ongoing declining enrollment and a $7 million budget deficit. Hatch and other officials have said the proposed closures are part of EPISD's efforts to "right-size" its operations.

EPISD is projected to lose about 1,800 students in the upcoming school year, leading to a potential $2.8 million loss in revenue in the 2019-20 school year. Officials have attributed the declining enrollment to urban sprawl, lower birth rates and charter schools.

Sara Sanchez can be reached at 546-6147; ssanchez@elpasotimes.com; @siempresarita on Twitter.

A plaque from the El Paso County Historical Commission describes the historic significance of Douglass Elementary in South-Central El Paso. From 1920 to 1956, the Douglass campus served as El Paso's only high school for African-American students. Sara Sanchez/El Paso Times

Parents at Alta Vista Elementary School listen as EPISD administrators give presentations on why the campus is being proposed for closure at the end of the school year at a community meeting Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, in Central El Paso. Sara Sanchez/El Paso Times

Trustee Al Velarde addresses parents and students Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, at Burleson Elementary School in South-Central El Paso. Burleson is one of four EPISD campuses being proposed for closure at the end of the school year. Sara Sanchez/El Paso Times